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Monday, December 10, 2012

Interview and Giveaway with Chris T Kat

What inspired you to
become an author?

I started out as a fan
fiction writer about four years ago. I wrote a bit during my teenage years but
gave up on it when other interests came up. When I started to write again I was
going through a rough spot health wise and needed a creative outlet. I'm so
glad I chose to write! For about two and half years I solely wrote fan fiction
(in different fandoms), then tried my hand at writing original fiction. I
wouldn't have done it if others hadn't pushed me...

I was very lucky that
Dreamspinner Press accepted my first novella Seizing It and made a dream
come true. :)

Is the book,
characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or
events in your own life?

A Purrfect
Match deals with prejudices
and bullying. It always baffles me how people can be so mean to each other just
because someone has a different skin color, loves someone of the same gender or
has a disability of some kind. I've seen people behave badly for no apparent
reason and I've also experienced how much prejudices can hurt. I think most of
us have dealt with prejudices one way or another and can relate.

What books/authors have
influenced your life?

As a kid the biggest
influence was probably Enid Blyton, who wrote so many fantastic and adventurous
children books. I never wanted to stop reading her books because the characters
were so likeable and I just had to know what was happening!

When I was a teenager I
started reading Stephen King and John Saul first. For a while I liked their
books but then I read my first Dean Koontz book. I've never looked back and can
honestly say I've read every book of him. He has such a unique voice, great
writing style and his books got me thinking. I really like that you never know
what he got up his sleeve!

What book are you
reading now?

I'm currently reading
Where He Ends and I Begin by Cardeno C.

Who is your favorite
author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

My favorite author is
Dean Koontz. Hmm, what strikes me about his work? I think it's how divergent he
is. His characters are always unique and he has so many great twists in his
books. His writing style is fantastic, everything always reads so smoothly. I
also like the various topics he brings up. His books tend to have paranormal
topics, which appeal greatly to me.

Do you have to travel
much to do research for your books?

I rely on Internet
research for localizations. Most of my stories are set in the area of Atlantic
City, Philadelphia and New York because that's the area I've seen with my own
eyes. For details I check up with a friend who lives there and is very
knowledgeable.

Who designed the cover
of your latest book?

The cover artist is
Shobana Appavu. I really love the cover she created. Jim, Andrew and Tony look
exactly like I imagined them (I'm especially happy she included Andrew's chin
cleft ^_^). She transferred my idea into a sweet and tender image and I thank
her for that!

Do you have any advice
for other writers?

Since I'm very new to
this business I'm hardly the right person to give advice. The only advice I'd
give (and that's a common enough one) is to read a lot and write what feels
good to you.

When a bad day at work culminates in losing out on a promotion, Jim Sanders shifts into his animal form to let off steam. Then his bad day turns into a bad night—while prowling his Atlantic City neighborhood as a large gray house cat, he’s caught in a torrential downpour. What little luck he has washes down the gutter when his new boss, Andrew Wright, catches him taking shelter on his porch, brings him inside, and starts calling him Mr. Frosty.

As a feline, Jim becomes the inadvertent confessor for his boss’s lonely son, Tony, a victim of schoolyard bullying. As a human, he feels drawn to Andrew, a man he wanted to resent. Finding love was never part of Jim’s plan for the future—not with his bizarre secret—yet suddenly he finds himself navigating that minefield anyway. But not everything is easy, especially for an interracial gay couple dealing with prejudice in the workplace, at Tony’s school, and even within their own families.

Author Bio:

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of almost 15 years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks, or crafts.